Wolf Creek 2

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I saw the first film during schoolies and it felt like it went for twenty minutes. I don't recall any of it apart from that wicked snicker Mick puts on. Going into the second movie was like going in blind. We all know what Wolf Creek is about but i didn't know what to expect, remembering the premise of the first one, no way could they be the same and they weren't. I was pleasantly surprised as i was hooked from the very start. John Jarret is truly superb in this role, he is menacing and pulls of crazy perfectly. Ryan Corr was another good choice, good actor and also very good looking, which always helps. It was definitely a film of cat and mouse, the cat being Mick Taylor. The final thirty minutes was definitely a step away from the first film completely. It provides the viewer a more in depth look into the menace and serial killer antics of Mick and a chronicle of his 'hobby'. The ending was also brilliant, simple yet punches you right in the face. Their were parts during the film that were a bit comedic. I found this not to be a bad addition, to lighten up the heavy themes of the film, however it did throw off the pace and unsettling tone. Also the music choices were questionable. I found myself looking over to my friend a few times during these parts laughing awkwardly out of place and saying 'that was a bit weird' or 'interesting song choice, bit lame'. My main criticism of the movie would probably be the hyper inflated racist Australian character of Mick Taylor. However in saying that, i guess that is why he is so crazy and so easy to hate. I'm glad i saw it, i was thoroughly entertained.

'Wolf Creek 2' suffers some of the similar problems seen in other horror movie franchises. Like in the later 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films, too much focus is placed on the antagonist, causing the film to lose quite a bit of suspense and tension. In the first 'Wolf Creek', released nearly a decade ago, John Jarratt's Mick Taylor was an enigma to the audience. He didn't make an appearance until nearly halfway through the film, and even then we had no idea what his deal was until he started torturing and murdering the main characters. In the sequel, Mick has been turned into much more of a comedic antihero, with there being a large emphasis on Mick and his pun-laden one-liners, which kills off a bit of the mystery and edginess that defined the first film. Likewise, this leads to Mick's victims being that little less relatable and sympathetic, as we are much more familiar with Mick than we are with them. Like the original, 'Wolf Creek 2' is obviously not for the faint of heart, with the gore and sadistic violence being ramped up. The film's car chases and fright scenes are all the more elaborate and effective due to an obvious budget increase. This much more polished look obviously removes a bit of the grindhouse aesthetic present in the preceding film, however makes up for it in terms of sheer scale. On the whole, 'Wolf Creek 2' is still quite an intense thrill-ride, and one worth checking out, especially if you enjoyed the first. Unfortunately, the creative team's decision to spend more time with Mick and less with the unfortunate tourists who encounter him deprives the film of what could have made it a superior sequel.

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I must admit I personally wasn't that much impressed by the original "Wolf Creek", released in 2005 and also directed by the young Australian horror prodigy Greg McLean. Admittedly it benefited from a raw & gritty atmosphere as well as a couple brutal gore-highlights, but overall it was a mundane & unoriginal hillbilly slasher that too easily exploited the "based on a true story" tagline. Maybe I became a lot more tolerable over the years or I was just in a very optimistic mood today, but I immensely enjoyed the sequel and wholeheartedly reward it with a much more favorable rating than the original. Part two is a prototypic kind of sequel, expect for the fact that it took a relatively long time before it was made, meaning the violence and bloodshed are more plentiful, the sadist killer becomes the real star and gets a lot more screen time and there's a more room for – in this case pitch black – humorous situations. The deeply disturbed outback pig hunter Mick Taylor is back and he still joyously & carelessly massacres backpacking tourists without running even a remote risk of getting caught by the Australian authorities. He first targets a young German couple, but then the girl manages to escape and is picked up by a traveling British student named Paul Hammersmith. Since Paul is now responsible for Mick missing out on a tasty piece of female candy, he relentlessly pursues the boy through the enormous and inescapable Wolf Creek crater region. McLean righteously chose for straightforward and fast-paced horror spectacle this time and I assume the vast majority of his fans will be grateful for this. "Wolf Creek 2" is extremely violent and even sickening – squeamish audiences beware – but still contains more suspense and atmosphere than any other backwoods slasher of its type, thanks to the uncanny outback setting and the evil charisma of the protagonist. Mick Taylor remained a fairly mysterious killer in the original, but now he proudly profiles himself as a patriotic and madly racist Aussie bastard! The special effects and make-up are top quality and the film owes a great deal of its shocking impact to the unclassifiable performance of John Jarrett. He's the Aussie Outback personified! With regards to the aforementioned black humor, keep an eye open for the truly twisted sequence with the crossing kangaroos!

Mick Taylor's back, and he's bought another 'based on a true story with him'. Well it says based, probably the truth is that a lot of people go missing, and are never seen again, and on the odd occasion someone gets questioned about it so the makers can do pretty much what they want with the rest of the story. Taylor this time is more Hands on with the film, appearing right from the beginning, which is a mix of The Hitcher (the eighties version), and of course, Hostel. It's more of the same. We start with a very gory prologue involving some cops who get their just desserts, and then Taylor stalks two German travellers, one whom gets away, and bumps into a British tourist, who foolishly gives them a lift (one thing I've learned from this is to never, ever stop for someone who appears extremely distressed, because chances are, they are being chased by a serial killer)' and inadvertently becomes Micks next prey. Then from there on in, its a cat and mouse movie, chase after chase, with everyone coming into contact with the Brit or Taylor, being killed in weird and wonderful ways. The realism of the first movie is gone, that was all about the sense of dread in an unknown place, this is going for the Boogyman route, emulating Freddy, Jason et al on several occasion. Replacing seriousness are flying Kangaroos (almost), The Mick Taylor singalong, and a very extended quiz show for sub finale. Sounds crass I know, but its a lot of fun, kill keeping on the right side of horror, and turning it into parody. Ignore the fact that it's 'based on a true story' (apparently one of the characters is in a mental health hospital somewhere in the UK), and enjoy it for the throwback shlockfest that it is. Miles better than Neighbours....

The original Wolfcreek was actually not that bad. This sequel is just horrible. Shot down under, it has the backdrop of a barren desert; this effectively mirrors the entertainment value of the movie. The movie meanders along for a few minutes and then the two foreign vacationers pop up and it is just boring. The villain is played out and boring. The only good thing about the villain is his laugh, it's a funny laugh. I had to fast forward this movie about ten minutes in to the last 20 minutes. I just wasn't interested (or patient) enough to watch it completely. It ends up with a torture scene in the end (big surprise). The end scene is just bizarre and scripted obtusely. I don't know how this movie has over a 6/10...when a movie like Devil's Due has a 3.9. Something is fishy.